"No one's officially blaming Gaia of anything," Stanton said, "but we're indesperate need of help - any help - to stop the pathogen. Even if it's notf...om Gaia, your world is incredibly advanced in genetic manipulation, andthat may be the key to finding a cure for it."Metis picked up the disc and slid it into her padd. It interfaced with theTerran technology effortlessly, and a miniature, compact hologram flared tolife on the table between them, scrolling DNA diagrams and related data.. Jervale was the only demon in this tower who had actually seen the demon lord, and that was enough to scare him into keeping his duties.The princess probably didn't even remember her father. She had been so young when she was left under Jervale's care. "Abandoned," the butler thought to himself. Just as he was thinking of her..."Yooo, Jervale!" The princess bounded down the stairs with an energetic greeting, making an echo rebound throughout the chamber. "Good morning! Whatcha up to?" Good. I gave just enough pressure to let her take pleasure from the friction, but little enough to frustrate her attempts to get off. To further torture her, my free hand was roaming her body. I moved it around, surprising her with sensations, each of which caused her to twitch and moan: a light touch up her side, a tug on her hair, a scratch down her back. I had brought her to a state of incoherent want and every sense was piqued for pleasure.An intense bolt of lightning lit the sky and the monster. The 25 men sat in chairs and kindly looked up at me, watching my blue index cards shake in my trembling hands. I was glued to those cards. I was so nervous, I finished in 10 minutes. The men were very kind and applauded, yet I felt like a k** in a school play, getting courtesy applause. I had no idea what I was talking about and they all knew it. I was embarrassed for dragging them out to see my total failure. My cheeks were bright red. Fortunately, Uncle Jack walked on stage to rescue me from.